Free Republic

Professors are never more revealing than when they are trying to deny that higher education and those who deliver it have any bias whatsoever. Dr. John Doolittle of American University offered several such insights in a debate with me at the AU campus earlier this month. Dr. Doolittle pointed out that when he studied at the University of Wisconsin in the early 1970s, “I knew for a fact that three professors voted for Richard Nixon.” He did not say what happened to the political balance on the university faculty when that Republican trio retired. Moreover, UWI has hundreds of professors...

Perhaps the most contentious issue surrounding the academic freedom movement is whether or not legislators should get involved with passing things like the Academic Bill of Rights. At the national Academic Freedom Conference held on April 6-7 in Washington, D.C. one panel of legislators, some who have been vilified publicly for their concerns, discussed measures taken within their own states. Former state Senator John Andrews of Colorado said that what many denounce as anecdotal evidence, legislators term “putting a human face on the problem.” “We were the first state to consider legislation,” said Sen. Andrews, explaining that a bill was...

The Last Mistake? Despite all the warnings and all the facts about the regime in Tehran funding and supporting terrorism, the Bush administration decided to invade Iraq - their first mistake. Going against the international community the bush administration decided to eliminate the threat in Iraq, ignoring the facts that the real threat is next door in Tehran. While enjoying the resources of a rich country, the regime in Tehran has illustrated out in polished detail how the undeclared war in Iraq should bring the US on their knees. Judging by the latest developments and the administration's green light to...

The Los Angeles Times suspended the blog of one of its top columnists last night, saying he violated the paper's policy by posting derogatory comments under an assumed name. The paper said in an online editor's note that Michael Hiltzik, a Pulitzer Prize winner who writes the Golden State column, had admitted posting remarks on both his Times blog and on other Web sites under names other than his own. The Times said it is investigating the matter. Editor Dean Baquet declined comment, and Hiltzik said he could not comment. The deceptive postings grew out of a running feud between...

Is an L.A. Times columnist leaving comments on the Internet under assumed “sock puppet” identities — identities which he pretends is someone other than himself? Read on and judge for yourself. As for me, I’ve made up my mind, and the answer is “yes.” In an early post on his L.A. Times-sponsored Golden State blog, Times columnist Michael Hiltzik was criticized by a couple of commenters calling themselves “Chad” and “Booker.” These commenters left juvenile comments mocking Hiltzik for explaining blogs to his readers. A commenter named “Mikekoshi” rose to Hiltzik’s defense, scolding the commenters for criticizing Hiltzik’s column:

Here's a flyer for the upcoming May 1 illegal immigration march and boycott: Yes, it's a fake. But, it's pretty accurate too. Feel free to email the link to the photo or repost it elsewhere. The large size is here.

Immigrant rally

The future of the internet is video blogging. With over 200,000 daily viewers this liberal site and other like it will take us to the cleaners in 2008. Professional actress in a news format, I see through it, but the young will get sucked in. Be sure to watch her 4/11/2006 and 4/12/2006 broadcast. http://www.rocketboom.com

Jason Johnson was finishing his sophmore year at Cumberland College in Kentucky, affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. He was stage manager for the school production of "As You Like It" which was supposed to have been put on last week. Then he was called in to see two Cumberland officials on Thursday. They'd seen his MySpace blog and profile. He was handed a letter that requested he be off school property by that evening.

On April 7, when Britney Spears and Kevin Federline realized that their baby, Sean Preston, had been sleeping more than usual, panic bells went off. Just six days earlier, the 7-month-old had taken a major fall from his high chair, a tumble that had his parents worried that he might have been critically injured. They had every right to fret. After rushing Sean to a nearby hospital, they discovered he had a minor skull fracture (sometimes called a "scalp fracture" in babies), and a blood clot. And the doctors weren't the only ones to take notice! The next day, the...

I by no means am a theological scholar. I am just a late twenties Catholic who came to his senses about the Novus Ordo in mid-2005, but I would be remiss if I didn't offer my comments on some things that are percolating in the Church right now. This Maundy Thursday may mark the “granting” of an “Universal Indult” for the Tridentine Mass (also known as the Traditional Latin Mass) by Benedict XVI which would allow a “freer and wider” use of the Tridentine Mass. The collective Traditionalist world is holding it’s breath in anticipation of this granting. My question...

The Hamlet Men "Thus conscience doth make cowards of us all" -- Hamlet IN THE END it was not through the application of money, the calling in of favors, or the deft manipulation of the rules and regulations of the Democratic Party that raised John Kerry to become that Party's candidate for President of the United States. It was because he was, in all senses, the perfect man for the job. Kerry was the single politician who reflected the deep soul of the what the Democratic Party had become; the standard bearer for the resurgent Left, exemplified by Hollywood and...

This morning's Washington Times reports the astonishing--to me, anyway--news that last week's massive pro-illegal immigrant demonstration in Los Angeles was organized by International A.N.S.W.E.R. We've written about International A.N.S.W.E.R. a number of times; for example, here. It is a Communist organization and a front for the Workers World Party. The Workers World Party has been around for quite a while. It is one of the last unapologetically Stalinist organizations in the world; it supported the Soviet invasion of Hungary in 1956. More recently, the WWP and ANSWER have supported dictators like Saddam Hussein and North Korea's Kim Il Jong. These...

By Robert Niles: Two stories this morning about large news organizations plagiarizing independent online media: The first, related by King Kaufman at Salon regards an ESPN radio host ripping off a comedy bit from a sports blogger in Michigan. Larisa Alexandrovna of Raw Story reports the second and (literally) more serious example. In Huffington Post, she writes that one of her investigative reports found its way into an Associated Press story, which did not attribute the information to her or to Raw Story. Alexandrovna writes: "We contacted an AP senior editor and ombudsmen both and both admitted to having had...

American Illegals Marching On Mexico City David Kessel March 28, 2006 (The Americas Press Agency, March 29, 2006) - Thousands of Americans residents in Mexico marched on Mexico City; and hundreds more marched on other Latin American capitals to protest what they perceive to be the unfair treatment they have been receiving in those countries.“We cannot work here”, complained John Smith, a resident of Tijuana. “They tell me: “Mexico is supposed to be for Mexicans.” “I have applied for many jobs here, at restaurants, and also at factories. I have run out of my savings and explained to them...

TechWeb.com (03/24/2006 3:04 PM EST) Microsoft employees writing to an anonymous blog are calling for the heads of high-level company executives -- including Steve Ballmer and Jim Allchin -- after the double delay debacle this week when the Redmond, Wash. developer shoved its two most profitable products into 2007. On the Mini-Microsoft blog, which is maintained by someone who identifies himself as a Microsoft employee and goes by the nickname "Who da'Punk," an entry tagged "Vista 2007. Fire the leadership now!" has accumulated over 325 comments from in- and outsiders. The blog was a response to the Tuesday announcement that...

The Federal Election Commission last night released proposed new rules that leave almost all Internet political activity unregulated except for the purchase of campaign ads on Web sites. "My key goal in this rule-making has been to make sure that the commission establish clear rules to exempt individuals who engage in online politics from campaign finance laws," said Chairman Michael E. Toner, a Republican. "We tried to craft a regulation that would allow the maximum amount of freedom for people as possible," said Commissioner Ellen L. Weintraub, a Democrat. Most bloggers, individual Web users, and such Web sites as Drudge...

Virus Alert! McCain-Feingold is set to infect the Internet. By Bradley A. Smith For two years, campaign-finance reformers fought in the courts to force the Federal Election Commission to regulate the Internet more heavily. They won, and legislation is in the works. Two bills are before Congress, H.R. 4900 and H.R. 1606. The “reform community” is strongly backing the former, and, to garner support for it, is claiming that it offers more than adequate protections. It doesn’t. Before McCain-Feingold, or “BCRA,” federal campaign law regulated “expenditures” and “contributions” made “in connection with” federal elections or “for the purpose of influencing”...

OJR's Q & A with Markos Moulitsas Zúniga, founder of the successful political blog, which is home to a large, active corps of readers and posters. Markos Moulitsas Zúniga is the founder of DailyKos, rated by Technorati as the most-linked-to political blog on the Web. With MyDD.com founder Jerome Armstrong, he is the co-author of "Crashing the Gate: Netroots, Grassroots, and the Rise of People-Powered Politics," a sharp rebuke of politics-as-usual within the Democratic party. He spoke via phone with OJR about the book, his website and independent Web publishing. An edited transcript of that interview follows. OJR: What the...

A reader e-mails Andrew Sullivan: "I believe that if you compare the conduct of the Iraq war by the Bush administration with the record of Lincoln during the Civil War and Roosevelt during World War 2, the record will show that Bush is doing a better job than either Lincoln or Roosevelt. Check out 'Battle Cry of Freedom' by James McPherson, a history of the Civil War era. Lincoln faced continuous vilification by the Democrats and did not think until late in the campaign that he would win re-election. The Union military during the Civil War lost dozens of major...